School shootings have been present in the United States since the 19th century, but never as common as they are now. 
Data helps us understand how gun violence within schools in the U.S. has rose by 20.7% from 2000-2021. In 2000, following the Columbine massacre, school shootings reached a high that the U.S. had never seen before. School shootings have continued to increase uncontrollably since then. 
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there have been 1,001 school shootings from 2000-2021 with 433 deaths and 890 injuries.
Shootings are most likely to occur in elementary and high schools and least likely at universities. 
While shootings are uncommon at universities, The Virginia Tech Shooting is recorded as the deadliest shooting with 33 deaths and 23 injuries. The Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting comes in second deadliest with 27 deaths. 
The three largest states in the country are at the top of the list for most school shootings. California has had 164, Texas 135, and Florida with 90. Similarly, North Dakota has the second smallest population and comes in last with 1 reported shooting, while Wyoming has the smallest population in the U.S. with 2 shootings. 
The information below works together to tell a story of how a country that once rarely experienced gun violence within schools, now has affected more than 330,000 students according to SandyHookPromise.org.